The police ended nearly four-fifths of all Richmond burglary investigations in the last year without identifying a suspect, police data reveals.
The police closed 79% of Richmond’s more than one thousand burglary investigations without naming a suspect in the past year of most recently available police data prior to October 2024.
It comes as opposition Green councillors warn more resources are needed in central Richmond following a wave of burglaries in the area.
Liberal Democrat councillor Gareth Roberts, leader of Richmond Council, told South West Londoner: “The safety of our residents is a top priority and we are deeply concerned about the impact of burglaries within the borough.
“While the investigation of crimes is the responsibility of the police, the council works closely with the Metropolitan Police and supports initiatives such as the Community Safety Partnership and Police Liaison Groups to prevent crime and improve safety.”
There were 1,136 reported burglaries in Richmond during the one-year period, according to police data.
While the numbers appears to fall over the second half of the year, this could result from seasonal variations.
Chas Warlow, Green councillor for South Richmond, said the figures for unsolved burglaries were certainly a cause for concern despite the borough’s overall low crime rate.
He said this was especially the case in the ward he represents, which covers central Richmond, where there has been a recent spate of burglaries.
While the burglaries were spread throughout the borough, the area recorded the highest total at 89.
This compares to neighbouring Twickenham and Marble Hill, which recorded just 17 burglaries over the year, the lowest total in the borough.
Residents, Warlow added, have grown frustrated at the lack of resources dedicated by the Metropolitan Police to the area.
He said: “The Green Group’s view is that community policing is incredibly important to provide trust and reassurance on the streets of our borough.
“We have consistently argued for better and more consistent resourcing of our local area and have highlighted the fact that officers from Richmond are frequently redeployed elsewhere, for instance at events or disturbances in other parts of London.
“We have been assured that these ‘abstractions’, as they are known, are being reduced – we are waiting to be convinced that this is in fact the case.”
One area that has been subjected to a spate of burglaries in the borough is Church Street, a popular cobbled road in Twickenham home to a row of independent shops.
A shop worker told South West Londoner the area came together to help catch wrongdoers.
He said: “The entire street got itself so quickly together, so by the time the guy was at the end of the street we already had two pictures from CCTV of him. By the time he got the end of the road they had already caught him.”
He said the Church Street shop owners had spoken to police to request on-street CCTV cameras be put in place.
The police, he claimed, said while this was in their plan, they did not believe it would help significantly with the issue, and there currently was a lack of locations to attach a camera to.
He added: “I haven’t seen the police in a very long time.”
The impact of burglaries, especially in private residences, can have an impact that goes far beyond the immediate financial impacts.
South West Londoner spoke to one London resident who had been burgled twice in 2024 after two separate incidents involving an unsecured upstairs window.
He said: “The first burglary felt very professional. Because, as you imagine, you come in and everything’s been ransacked. It is a bit like how you see in TV.
“It’s like they have literally ripped open all the drawers and run through everything. So, the whole house was a massive tip.”
In the aftermath of the burglary the residents discovered all their electronics, including a Macbook laptop and a PlayStation 4, had been stolen, as well as all of their passports.
While both investigations ended without the police naming a suspect, the resident said they didn’t feel especially let down by the police’s response.
He said: “I didn’t really feel let down by the police, because ultimately, I didn’t really think of anything more they could do. I mean it seems to be happening a lot in our general area.”
While he doesn’t feel that damaged by the burglaries, he said the same can’t be said for those he lived with.
He added: “It was quite traumatic for my housemates, that’s for sure – one of my housemates went home for quite a few weeks.
“Ultimately, it is a quite suburban area. It’s quite a nice area. So, in a way, when you’re moving into these places, it isn’t on your mind that this is the sort of place they would target.”
Alex Mayes, external affairs manager at Victim Support told South West Londoner: “The impact of a burglary goes beyond just the financial losses – although these can be devastating too. Home should be the place where we feel most safe.
“A burglary is an invasion of that space and can deeply unsettle people’s sense of security. For some, it could mean the loss of treasured belongings and memories that can never be replaced.”
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